


I'll Stand By You

by moomoomeep



Category: Captain America (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: M/M, but i'm gonna post it anyway, so this has been sitting on my computer for a while, this is so lame and cheesy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-12
Updated: 2014-06-12
Packaged: 2018-02-04 09:00:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,895
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1773352
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moomoomeep/pseuds/moomoomeep
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"I don't understand why you keep doing this. Why do you keep fighting--?" </p><p>"Because it's you or nothing Bucky; because I love you and I will never give up on you even when you've given up on yourself."</p>
            </blockquote>





	I'll Stand By You

**Author's Note:**

> This takes place two years after Cap 2 (one year after they found Bucky and the other year focused on Bucky's recovery)
> 
> Inspired by: “I’ll Stand by You” Cover by Cory Monteith 
> 
> Warning: Mentions of past trauma and relapse.

“It’s Friday night and I have to spend it with you people,” Clint complains, slumping down on the large couch as he opens his bag of Doritos.

“Don’t even deny it, Bird Brain, you love our movie nights,” Tony says from the other side of the room without looking up from his phone.

The Avengers weekly movie nights in the main common room became official after Steve, Bucky, and Sam moved to Manhattan. The trio previously lived in DC for a year until Tony called saying Avengers Tower was complete and he wanted Steve to move in. The blond agreed but only if Sam and Bucky could come too. Tony pretended to ponder his question before ultimately agreeing.

Bucky plops down on the large couch next to Steve, tucking his feet underneath his body and curling into the Captain’s side. He places the large green bowl filled to the brim with popcorn in the blond’s lap before grabbing a handful of the treat and shoving it into his mouth.

Steve glances down at the bowl in his lap. “Oh so I gotta hold your shit now?”

The brunet laughs. “Of course. Why else would I keep you around?” he teases before leaning forward and giving Steve a gentle kiss.

Throughout Bucky’s recovery, the two have managed to rediscover their friendship and relationship. Sure, Steve would have liked to jump right back into their full-scale relationship, but that wouldn’t have been appropriate especially since Bucky wasn’t in the right state of mind to be able to consent to anything. Bucky needed Steve to be his friend at the time, not his boyfriend.

“Cap? Earth to Cap?”

“What?” Steve asks confused, finding both Tony and Bucky’s eyes on him.

Tony rolls his eyes unamused. “I _said_ : is there anything in particular that you want to watch?”

“No, not particularly, whatever you want,” Steve answers.

The genius grins, grabbing the remote and changing the channel.

Clint groans. “Not the science channel, Tony. The only other person who wants to watch this is Bruce. No offence to Bruce, of course.”

“None taken at all,” Bruce says with a shrug.

Bucky’s eyes remain on Steve, orbs scanning his face curiously. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” He says, looking at the other man with a smile. “Just thinking is all.”

The brunet’s lips curl into a familiar smile before teasingly nudging Steve with his shoulder. “Oh? Thinking about anyone in particular.”

“Well, Bruce is looking pretty good these days,” Steve jokes.

Bucky laughs and shoves Steve, a playful smile on his face. “Shut up." 

The blond wraps an arm around the other man’s shoulders, placing quick pecks on his forehead and nose before placing a deeper lingering kiss on his lips.

Bucky sighs against his mouth and smiles when they part. “You think about doing that with Bruce too?”

Steve grins. “Not a chance.”

The brunet raises his right hand, curling his fingers into Steve’s hair and tugs him down for another long kiss. Steve tilts his head to the side, fitting their mouths together, and fighting back the urge to moan.

“Y’all are gonna have to come up for air eventually,” Sam teases.

Steve flicks Sam off with his free hand. Sam laughs wholeheartedly and the blond can bet his friend is shaking his head and grinning.

“I didn’t know he knew how to do that?” the billionaire says aloud, seeming shocked that Steve would know of something considered “rude” like flicking someone off. Did the entire team, aside from Sam and Bucky, think he was some prude?

Bucky smiles against his lips before pulling away. He twists away from Steve (who still can’t get over how flexible he is _damn_ ) to look at Tony. “He grew up in the forties, in Brooklyn, and he was friends with me,” he says. “If he didn’t pick up a thing or two, then it would have been a miracle.”

“Didn’t get all of it from you, Buck.”

“But, you got most of it from me and that’s what matters,” Bucky says as he turns back to Steve with a grin.

“Okay,” Tony says, stretching out the word. “Let’s go back to science.” He grabs the remote and turns up the television volume as some monotone voice drones on about beakers and test tubes. Clint pretends to snore loudly and Tony elbows him in the side, causing the archer to yelp.

After a few minutes, Natasha plucks the remote from Tony’s hand and flips through the channels. The genius is able to get the remote back after about five minutes and switches it to the History Channel with a grumble. The documentary is discussing fallen organizations and factions over the years. The team catches the last few minutes of the fall of Soviet Russia before the narrator switches to talking about the fall of SHIELD.

Steve tenses as the documentary plays, mind flashing through every memory of what happened in D.C. all those months ago. He takes a deep breath, trying to calm down his racing heart rate. The blond turns to ask Bucky is he wants to leave and freezes.

Bucky is sitting on the edge of the sofa (when did he move?), muscles tense as if he’s ready to pounce any minute. His eyes are wide and panicked, darting around the room in a hurried manner as if he’s looking for the best possible escape and Steve doesn’t like the way his gaze lingers on the window. He’s shaking, breath coming in shallow pants, his right hand automatically reaching for the place where his thigh holster would be if he was wearing it.

The blond opens his mouth to tell someone to turn the damn thing off, when Bucky suddenly stands and exits the room in a hurried manner via the stairs (thankfully.) Steve is immediately on his feet and chasing after him. The team is probably confused, but Sam and Natasha can explain it to them. D.C. is still a hard topic for him to discuss, which is why he’s been avoiding everyone’s questions and concerns since they moved in a month ago.

He follows Bucky to the gym, opening the doors and scanning the area. Steve finds his friend crouched in a corner on the other side of the gym, rocking back and forth on his heels. The blond slowly enters the gym and heads to his friend, making noise so Bucky knows he’s there.

It takes him seconds to cross the length of the gym. Steve kneels next to his friend moves to place a comforting hand on his back when Bucky whirls around, grabbing the blond’s arm with both hands before literally tossing him to the side.

Caught off guard, Steve slides across the gym floor before catching his balance. When he manages to get himself into a standing position, he’s bodily tackled by Bucky. The blond lands hard with his back against the floor and groans. Bucky is looming over him, his left fist raised in the air, eyes wide with panic and the whole situation is like déjà vu from D.C. that Steve isn’t surprised when the fight drains from him and he just says, _“Bucky.”_

The brunet freezes, his entire body going rigid and his eyes flickering with recognition. Bucky slowly lowers his fist, scanning Steve’s face as his expression turns to one of horror. “Steve, I . . .”

He doesn’t get to hear Bucky finish what he began to say for the man quickly climbs off Steve and leaves the gym without another word.

**

Steve enters Avengers Tower after a Taco Bell run. He waves to the lobby receptionist before heading to the elevator, entering the device and pressing the button for his floor. The doors close and the elevator begins rising. He leans against one of the walls and sighs heavily.

It’s been four days since the incident in the gym and Bucky has been avoiding him like the plague. They live on the same floor yet Steve has barely seen him. The brunet prefers to stay holed up in his room, refusing to leave until Steve is either asleep or not around which has been confirmed by JARVIS.

The elevator arrives on his and Bucky’s level. When the doors open, he is immediately greeted by Bucky’s retreating back (the brunet must have lounging around the living room before he arrived). Steve feels his muscles tense up as a tiny burst of irritation goes through him as he wonders if Bucky knows that the only person blaming him for what happened in the gym (or anything he did as Winter Soldier) is himself. Steve could never put the fault on Bucky for anything—you can’t blame a man for actions he wasn’t aware of committing.

“You can’t avoid me forever, we live on the same floor,” Steve says, exiting the elevator. He tosses the fast food bag onto the table and pursues his friend. “Bucky, talk to me, that’s what I’m here for. Just let me help—”

“Stop it, Steve, just stop it,” Bucky yells, turning on his heel and glaring at the man. “Can’t you see? I’m a threat to everyone in this fucking tower. I am nothing more than a weapon— _a time bomb_ —just waiting to go off again. You’re not safe around me okay-- none of you are.”

The blond gulps. “Bucky, I—“

“No, Steve, no more excuses,” the brunet interrupts curtly. He crosses the length of the living room and stands a few feet away from Steve, mouth curled into a deep frown. “I don’t understand why you keep doing this. Why do you keep fighting—?”

“Because it’s you or nothing, Bucky,” Steve says slightly raising his own voice, which causes Bucky’s mouth to snap shut. “Because I love you and I will _never_ give up on you even when you’ve given up on yourself. It’s me and you till the end of the line.”

Bucky’s eyes rapidly scan Steve’s face as if searching for even the barest hint of a lie. He won’t find one. Steve could never lie to Bucky and when he tried, he was called out and forced to tell the truth.

The brunet opens and closes his mouth a few times before sighing. “You never know when to quit, do you?”

“Damn right I don’t,” Steve says, his words coming out a little breathier than he imagined.

Bucky sighs again, closing the distance between them and resting his forehead against Steve’s chest. “For the record,” he says after a few moments, voice muffled by the fabric of the blond’s shirt. “I love you too.”

Steve smiles, wounding his arms around Bucky’s shoulders and placing his chin on top of his friend’s unruly mop of hair that really needs to be trimmed. He knows that their relationship will never be the same as it once was—they’ve both lost seventy years of their lives and were forcibly thrust into a future they never dreamed of seeing. Steve knows that this isn’t the last time Bucky will have relapse or lash out at someone on the team.

It's funny. Bucky used to say that sometimes life gets the last laugh and there’s nothing no one can do to change that. But now? Steve’s not so sure. Because no matter what hurdle life threw at him, one thing never changed.

He always had Bucky.


End file.
